Improvement in paper-folding machines



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E. NORDBLOM 85 L. HANSEN. Paper-Folding Machine.

No. 200,838. Patented March 5,1878.

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No. 200,838. Patented March 5,1878.

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, E. NORDBLOM & L. HANSEN.

Paper-Folding Machine.

No. 200,838. Patented March 5,1878

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No. 200,838. Patented March 5,1878.

ERNST NORDBLOM ANDLORENZ HANSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-FOLDING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 200,838, dated March 5,1878 application filed April 8, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ERNST NoRDBLoM and LORENZ HANSEN, of Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certainImprovements in Paper-Folding Machines, of which the following isaspecification:

The nature of our invention will be'understood by those skilled in theart from the following description and accompanying draw ings, whichform a part thereof.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of themachine. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is atransverse vertical section of the machine below the folding shoes orshields. Fig. 4 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 1, but upon alarger scale, of a portion of the apparatus. Fig. '5 is a perspectiveView of the folding shoes or shields detached. Fig. 6 is a similar Viewof the same from the other side. Fig. 7 is a sectional top view of same.Fig. 8 is a transverse section of' same. Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14are perspective views of the sheet in its various progressive stagesduring the operation of folding.

Likeletters of reference made useof in the several figures indicate likeparts wherever used.

In the said drawings, A represents the final cylinder of theprinting-press, from whence the printed paper is delivered. 1 B B areshafts parallel to cylinder A, and bearing pulleys I), over which passthe endless belts b moving in the direction of the arrows. These beltsare provided at suitable intervals with nippers 12 for grasping thepaper to take it from the cylinder. They are flat pieces of metalriveted to the belt, so that by the tension of the belt they are made tolie flat against the belt-surface, except when passing around thepulleys. These nippers are so adjusted upon the belts, and the movementof the belts is so contrived, that the nippers arrive at the cylinder- Aat the proper moment to receive the edge of the sheet turned ofi? bysaid cylinder, and, being closed by their onward motion, gripe saidsheet and carry it away from the cylinder horizontally, until thenippers are again opened by the farther pulleys. Extending across theentire series of belts are one or more foldingblades, 0, pivoted toswing out at right angles or to lie flat upon the belt-surface, andmoving with the belts.

Below these belts is arranged a folding-roll, D, provided withspring-lip d, hinged to the roll, and held open by its spring. A pair ofshafts, E E, are fitted with pulleys e e, which carry tapes 42*, movingin the direction of the arrows shown upon the drawing contiguousthereto. The sheet A as it comes from the cylinder A, griped and carriedby the nippers, as aboveexplained, at the moment of its release fromsaid nippers is struck in the middle, along the dotted line shown inFig. 9, by the folding knife or blade 0, which, for this purpose, iscaused to tilt by means of a cam, O, and the bight or fold of the sheetforced down into theopen lip. The further revolution of the roll Dcauses the lip to close upon the paper by rolling the, open lip againstthe periphery of the pulleys e, and the sheet thus brought between thepulleys and the roll is carried down folded in the middle. 6 serve toassist in carrying the portion of the paper which has been carried past,in order to bring the center of the sheet to the right position for theaction of the blade, as above.

The sheet folded, now with one fold, as shown at Fig. 10, is takenbetween the tapes (3 at their lower position and the tapes a and carriedfold first toward the folding-shields, the paper lying horizontally, asindicated at Fig. 11.

Before the folding-shields are reached, however, the sheet is acted uponby a series of guiding-tapes, which act, in conjunction with theshields, to produce the fold.

The second fold given to the sheetthat shown'at Fig.12-is a fold ofone-fourth of the length of the sheet, as shown at Fig. 11. This fold isproduced by means of a set of tapes marked 20, consisting of twotape-bands placed one above the other, the lower limb of the upper bandand the upper limb of the lower band of which run in the same directiontoward the shield. This set of tapes 20 are arranged in a diagonaldirection, as shown, and

' they seize the sheet at one end, and, twisting in their course, carrysaid end under the first or outer shield F. At the same time another setof diagonally-arranged tapes, 21, similar to 20, and with a twist intheir course, take the The tapes long end of the sheet at about themiddle thereof, and carry it to the inside of shield F, bringing thesheet into the condition shown at Fig. 13. The action of thefolding-tapes is now at an end, and the sheet, acted upon solely now bythe through -tapes 22, is carried forward over the inner shield G, whichpasses through the part marked 9 of the sheet, as shown at Fig. 13. Thisinner shield smooths and flattens the folded sheet by means of itstapering form, and, by reason of the flaring edge at It, sets the fold,so that the sheet at this stage assumes the condition shown at Fig. 14.The sheet in this condition is delivered above the final folding-roll,J, made in all essential respects like the first folding-roll, 1), andfurnished in like manner with a spring-lip, which is closed by contactwith the pulleys upon a roller, K. The sheet having moved along until ina proper position, a revolving blade, L, strikes it at the dotted lineshown upon Fig. 14, and, the fold being seized by the springlip, thesheet, with its final fold, is drawn, folding along the dotted line atFig. 14, between the tapes 23, from whence it is finally delivered.

The tapes at 24, which, like 20 and 21, are a double set, are for thepurpose of supporting the long end of the sheet from the moment of itsleaving the tapes e until it is fairly upon the folding-shields.

We have, for the purpose of avoiding confusion, shown only such sets oftapes as are necessary for the working of the machine. Additional tapesmay be used, in practice, to obviate friction, and should be usedwherever they can be applied. For this purpose the surfaces of theshields may be fitted with tapes, if desired.

The gearing, which maybe traced upon the drawing, is such as to give themotion to the parts indicated by the arrows, and with the timingrequired, as above indicated.

The outer shield F is made of the form shown in the drawing. Itcommences with a flattened front end, which lies horizontally and nearthe point at which the paper is delivered from the apparatus whichproduces the first fold. The form from this point is a gradual swellexteriorly to the rear or last portion, one side of the shell beingrounded or convex and the other side hollowed with a cavity. (Shown inplan at Fig. 7 and in cross-section at Fig. 8.) The inner shield is madesomewhat in the form of a fish, the head whereof is partially envelopedby the outer shield. The paper, in the act of folding, passes theseshields in the condition shown at Fig. 13. The uppermost ply in saidfigure shown in the act of passing will lie upon the upper surface ofthe outer shield. The ply next below will lie between the upper surfaceof the inner shield and the outer shield. The next ply below will liebetween the lower surface of the inner shield and the outer shield. Thelowest ply will lie in contact with the lower surface of the outershield. Of course, this condition is not preserved throughout the entirecontact of the sheet with the shields, but may be taken as the mediumcondition of transit. The form of the shields is such that the fold ismade gradually, and the form is such that it is impossible to describeit in words, while it is very easy to comprehend it from the drawingwhen the nature of its operation is explained. It may be generally saidof the shields that one surrounds partially the other, and thatboth arerounded off and formed to offer the least resistance possible to thepassage of the sheet, while the fold is at the same time supported inthe proper places. The sheet is induced by the form of the shields andtheir arrangement, substantially as shown in the drawing, to take thedouble fold, as described.

The shields are located between the mechanism for forming the first foldand the mechanism for forming the last fold, and it is their function toform the double intermediate fold which is given at right angles to thefirst and last fold.

In order that the sheet may be sure to be properly adjusted over thefinal folding-roll J, we provide said roll with short arms j, placedopposite the lip, which, in the revolution of the roll, strike the firstend of the incoming sheet as it is fed by the tapes over the roll, andlift it up far enough to carry it upon guard-fingers not shown in thedrawing, but which stand over the shaft or roller K, to keep the sheetfrom contact with said roller before the revolving blade L strikes it.The blade L is duplicated, in order that one blade may strike the sheetbefore it is in place to assist in placing it. This is accomplishedbecause there is but a single nipping-lip upon the roll J, which, at thetime the second or duplicate blade L strikes the sheet, isnot inposition to grasp the sheet, and consequently the blade lifts the sheetalong. This action may be further assisted by placing a bar or series ofpegs upon the roll J opposite to the nipping-lip, so that thisprojection will strike the sheet at the same time as the duplicateblade, and, moving in the same direction, will serve to assist the sheetalong to place.

We do not claim the combination of a mechanism for automaticallycontrolling the leading end of a sheet and delivering it within therange of action of the folding mechanism with a rotating foldingmechanism; nor the combination of a folding-blade mounted in a revolving carrier automatically projected to double a sheet, a companionrevolving carrier provided with a receiving-recess which is suppliedwith means for holding said double sheet, and mechanism forautomatically controlling the forward end of the sheet, so that itscentral portion shall be acted upon by said folding devices; nor thecombination of a folding-blade mounted in a revolving carrier andautomatically projected to double a sheet, nipping devices mounted in acompanion revolving carrier which receive said doubled sheet, andgripers for controlling the position of the sheet,

so that its central portion shall be acted upon by said folding devices;nor the combination of a cylinder and gripers pivoted directly andindependently to the cylinder, and separate holding-springs; nor thecombination of a rotating creaser, rotating grooved folding-bar, andgripers arranged at the front side of the groove, so that the sheet willbe bent back upon the folding-bar, and thus support its entire width.All of these several combinations, we are informed, have been thesubject of interfering applications and patents in an interference inwhich this application was involved. Vfie have therefore disclaimed themspecifica y.

Having thus described the construction and operation of our machine,that which we consider new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the final cylinder of a printing-press, of thefolding-roll D, its feedin g-belts andknife, and the folding-shields,the guiding-tapes, and final folding-roll and its appliances,substantially as specified.

2. As a means for producing folds in newspapers, the double-shieldcontrivance, along which the paper is carried, and which produces thefold or folds by the form of the shields, substantially as specified.

3. The pivoted folding-blade 0, attached to the belts b, in combinationwith the earn 0 and belts b, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the folding-shields and the guiding-tapes,constructed and arranged, substantially as described, so that the sheetis carried upon the shields in the shape shown at Fig. 13, substantiallyas specified.

5. The combination of the guiding-tapes 20 and 21, the shields F G, andthrough-tapes 22, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the guiding-tapes 20 and 21, the shields F and G,the through-tapes 22, and the supporting-tapes 24, substantially asspecified.

7. The combination of the shields F and G with tapes twisted andarranged in diagonal lines, one set leading to the outside of shield Fand one to inside thereof, substantially as shown at Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

8. The shield G, provided with the flaring edge h, in combination withthe shield F, substantially as specified.

9. The combination of the appliances for producing the first fold,substantially as specified, and the folding-shields and guiding-tapeswith the final folding-roll J and its appliances, substantially asspecified.

10. The combination of the appliances, substantially as specified, forproducing the first fold with the shields and guiding-tapes,substantially as specified.

ERNST N ORDBLOM. LORENZ HANSEN. Witnesses:

JOHN W. MUNDAY, Enw. S. EVARTS.

